Bonds
by ArchangelWings
Summary: A series of one-shots mostly centering on the relationships of Touhou's characters, whether it be romantic, friendship, or family.
1. Hopeless

A/N: Here's to another attempt at a story. I give it a month.

I apologize if my interpretation of the Touhou characters don't match up to canon, or even fanon; I am highly influenced by doujins and other fanfictions. These short stories have no relation to one another, unless stated, so that means more freedom :D

Moving on.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Touhou; ZUN does.

* * *

Remilia and Patchouli sat at a table on the mansion's balcony, shaded by the patio umbrella, as Sakuya poured tea into their cups. She bowed after setting them in front of them, then retreated to a corner. Sounds of clinking china filled the peaceful air, and the two youkai sipped their tea.

"So," the young-looking vampire began. "How are things in the library?"

"Fine. They'd be better if that damned witch stopped stealing books," Patchouli muttered with a scowl. Remilia hummed amusedly at her friend's dilemma; just yesterday, Marisa had come and escaped with a pile of books.

"I have to ask; what made you come out of your beloved library all of a sudden, asking to have tea with me? You rarely leave, usually on my summons, and especially not so soon after the witch's raid." Curious red eyes peered at the lavender-haired magician.

"Do you not enjoy my company, Remi?" she asked with a small smirk.

Waving a hand dismissively, Remilia replied, "That's not it. You hate leaving the library, yet today, you do so willingly. Why?"

"None of your concern," Patchouli stated simply before drinking the rest of her cup's contents. Remilia leaned forward, chin resting on top of her hands, and gave a small grin, eyes glinting with mischief.

"Does it have anything to do with our gatekeeper, Meiling?"

Had she have been such type of person, Patchouli would have done a spittake. Instead, she swallowed her drink and began to cough and gag. Sakuya was beside her in an instant, handing her a handkerchief to stifle her coughs while patting her back.

"I'm- I'm fine now. Thank you, Sakuya," Patchouli wheezed weakly, dismissing the maid. She turned back to Remilia. "What nonsense are you spouting. There is no way that Meiling has-"

"She has to have something to do with your actions, if you had such reaction to hearing her name." Remilia's fanged grin never wavered as she analyzed her friend.

"That's only because of the absurdity of your question," she huffed, closing her eyes. Heat flushed her cheeks and her heart started to beat faster. Damn it.

Neither her blush, nor her heartbeat escaped Remilia's sharp senses, causing her grin to grow wider. "Awww, well aren't you adorable, Patchy~!" the vampire crooned teasingly. Patchouli scowled and opened her eyes to glare at her best friend.

"Shut. It," she hissed, disgruntled. Remilia merely chuckled.

"Alright; I'll leave you be, for now. We'll talk again later~." She stood and turned to leave. "Come, Sakuya."

"Yes, Mistress." Everything was cleaned up the moment Remilia had stood up, and the Head Maid bowed to Patchouli before following her mistress, leaving her alone on the balcony.

Sighing, she got up as well, though not to leave. Leaning against the railing, she looked out toward the gates. In front of them was the Scarlet Devil Mansion's one and only gatekeeper. Instead of sleeping as usual, Meiling was practicing what seemed to be martial arts. Upon closer inspection, she realized the Chinese youkai was fighting imaginary foes.

Patchouli laughed gently, shaking her head. "Honestly... Do your job more seriously," she murmured. She let out a soft sigh, closing her violet eyes once more as she let her thoughts drift.

It was a few months ago when Sakuya punished Meiling by forcing her to help out in the library, on top of her gatekeeper duties. Patchouli had to wonder what the maid was thinking, as the whole ordeal had gone... quite horribly. The red-haired maiden often got lost, misplaced books, knocked over entire shelves, and, unsurprisingly, failed to stop the black-white witch Marisa from stealing books even inside the library.

Patchouli grimaced as she remembered the times she lost her temper with Meiling, yelling and even throwing books at her. And the Chinese girl always apologized with a goofy grin, laughing it off. Unable to deal with the woman's laid-back personality and her mistakes, the magician relieved her of her punishment.

Strangely, Meiling continued to visit the library during her breaks. She didn't try to help, unless it involved carrying large amounts of books. Otherwise, she constantly stayed near Patchouli, every so often asking a common, mundane question to start conversation. A few days of this passed until Patchouli finally asked what she was doing. Meiling smiled and replied with energy, "Keeping Patchouli-san company, of course! I don't want you to be lonely."

"Idiot," she had responded. "I'm not lonely. And I have Koakuma for company."

"More the merrier!"

She quit trying to send the gatekeeper away; it was clear she was determined to stay and "keep her company".

It was not long until she grew used to having Meiling around. She was actually quite useful, when she didn't slack off and did what she was supposed to. Koakuma acted as her mentor, and enjoyed it, becoming good friends. Every so often, the three of them would sit down and talk over tea, what used to be a rare occurrence soon becoming frequent.

Opening her eyes, Patchouli let out a small sigh, then smiled slightly. It was true Meiling influenced her decision to leave her library. The gatekeeper requested she "stop wasting away in the library and go out for once". She thought having tea with Remilia would have sufficed. What a mistake that was; now she'll never be left alone.

Looking out to the gates once more, she could see Meiling leaning against them, no doubt asleep. This assumption was proved correct when Sakuya walked out of the mansion's doors, knife already in hand. Patchouli laughed softly and turned away from the scene to retreat back into her often unused room.

* * *

"Ugh... That hurt..." Meiling mumbled as she sat up. Her clothes were a mess from her short scuffle with Marisa, ended by her Master Spark. Looking up, she could see the troublesome witch already flying away on her broom. "That was rather quick."

Footsteps sounded behind her, and she immediately pulled herself up, ready to apologize. "Ah, Sakuya-san! I'm sorry that I- oh, Patchouli-san. What are you doing out here?" Indeed, the person in front of her was not an irritated maid, but an unamused magician.

She didn't answer her question, instead demanding, "Meiling, what were you doing? I saw your battle with Marisa from a window, and though I don't expect you to win, it looked like you weren't even trying! I know you can last longer against her than that, yet you practically _let_ her in."

Meiling grinned sheepishly. "I thought you should have more friends than the residents of the mansion." Patchouli stared at the gate guard, dumbfounded.

"...What?"

"You're quite lively whenever Marisa comes around, and not just because she's stealing your books, so..." she trailed off. Patchouli covered her face with a hand.

"...Please, just do your job properly from now on. I can live without these extra headaches." Meiling laughed nervously and nodded. Shaking her head, she gave a small, exasperated smile. "You're so hopeless..."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry about it." She grabbed her hand and sat on the grass, pulling Meiling down beside her. To answer the red-head's questioning gaze, she said, "You're always visiting me in the library during your free time. Now it's my turn."

"Ah, I see!" Meiling smiled at her brightly. "Thank you, Patchouli-san." She leaned back against the wall, looking up into the sky. "Nice weather..." Patchouli murmured her assent. The two spent the rest of the afternoon like this, together. Neither released the other's hand.

* * *

"How are they?" Remilia asked.

"They are getting along quite well," Sakuya replied. "Already, both parties are showing affection to the other."

"So, my plan worked." Remilia chuckled quietly. "I wish them the best."

* * *

A/N Hooray for strange pairings! :D A little OOCness here and there, but nothing too bad, right? ;w;

This was a lot of fun and a pain to write, for one main reason: these two don't really have a defined relationship. Patchouli is friends with Remilia; Sakuya is Remilia's maid (and as a maid, she helps Patchouli too, right?) and acts like Meiling's boss; Koakuma is Patchouli's familiar; Meiling is under Remilia's employment and plays/takes care of/is friends with Flandre (in most fanon). Considering how Patchouli is usually in her library, and Meiling is outside as a gatekeeper... it's expected they wouldn't interact much. But whatever.

I love helpful criticism and getting other people's opinion on my works, so reviews are greatly appreciated ^^


	2. Comfort

A/N: Almost 3 months and I come back with... this. What is this Angel? HU!? *ahem* Not exactly my proudest work. I always a have a problem of putting ideas onto paper, so if some parts seem awkward, I'm sorry.

Two things I want to address: 1. The characters ARE changing with each chapter. 2. Some of these one-shots may be extended if the idea is broad enough and/or if you guys like it ^^

Besides that, on to the story~

Disclaimer: Touhou belongs to ZUN -sadface-

* * *

**Comfort**

"Get ready to face the strongest!" As usual, Gensoukyo's infamous ice fairy blocked Marisa's path as the witch made her daily run to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Cirno radiated confidence as she posed haughtily, pointing at the blonde with one hand, the other on her hip. Unfortunately, that was basically all she had; confidence, and determination. And stubbornness.

"Sheesh, when are you ever going to learn, Nineball?" Marisa sighed in exasperation. As much as she was used to her interruptions, they annoyed her no less. As expected, the grin on the fairy's face immediately slid into a scowl.

"I am not a nineball!" You're pretty cocky for someone who's about to lose!" Cirno fumed. It was almost comical, watching figurative steam blow out from her ears. However, like always, Marisa was not in the mood to play around.

"I don't have time for this! **[Love Sign: Master Spark]**!" Her hakkero glowed as it blasted the giant laser at the fairy. Cirno took the full brunt of the attack and quickly began to plummet to the ground. Marisa grinned and pocketed her artifact, adjusting her grip on her broom. "See ya, Nineball!" she cried, knowing the ice fairy would hear, and resumed her flight toward the mansion.

"Groaning, Cirno laid flat on the ground on her back. As soon as she regained enough strength in her body, she began to flail her arms and legs in a tantrum. "You stupid cheater, Marisa! Too scared to fight me fair and square! Grrrrr..." Her frustration wore off soon enough, and she laid in silence, thinking. _'Ugh, who am I kidding? I'll never beat her... or anybody. I'm weak.'_

Cirno cringed at the word. It hurt her pride to admit it, but it was true. No matter how much she practiced danmaku with her friends and trained on her own, she was always completely outmatched. She didn't mind it much at first; it just meant she had to try harder. Recently, however, it became quite tiresome. _'What's the use?'_ she wondered bitterly. She was beginning to become depressed by the lack of improvement. Yes, the stubborn ice fairy Cirno was losing hope.

Blinking a few times, Cirno attempted to hold back her frustrated tears, but to no avail. Tears slowly ran down her face, turning into ice before dropping to the ground. Giving up, she covered her eyes with an arm. She stayed like this only for a moment, deciding to return to her home before someone saw her in her condition.

_'Too late,'_ she thought as she heard bushes rustle near her. Letting out a sigh, Cirno braced herself for humiliation.

"Cirno? What are you doing, laying on the ground like that?" The girl in question froze, identifying the voice to be Rumia's.

_'Crap. I can't let her know I was crying."_ She wiped her eyes in a way she hoped was discreet and stood to face the darkness youkai. "Hey Rumia," she greeted, voice shaking slightly. "I was just, uh... taking a nap."

Rumia tilted her head curiously. "Is that so~?" She gazed at Cirno intently, making her nervous.

"Yeah! I was about to get up and go home to sleep in bed, actually. So... see ya, Rumia!" Before she could take off, Rumia stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Cirno... You've been crying." It was not a question. Cirno glanced at her, and saw the concern in the blonde's red eyes.

"...Yeah." Her own eyes dropped to stare at the ground, almost ashamedly. "But, I'm fine now, so you don't need to worry." Looking back up, she gave Rumia a small grin.

"Is that so~?"

"Uh-huh. So, if you'll just let me go, I'll-"

"You're a bad liar." Cirno cringed at her accusatory tone and glare. Rumia frowned, looking a bit disappointed and hurt. "I'm your friend. Why are you lying to me?"

"Look, it doesn't matter-"

"It does matter," Rumia cut in again, firmly. "Cirno, you were crying. It takes a lot to make you cry. Please tell me what's wrong?" Cirno sighed; she wasn't going to be able to avoid this.

"If I tell you, will you let me go?" She looked at her arm pointedly, which was being gripped rather tightly. Rumia smiled sheepishly and nodded. She pulled her to a tree and sat leaning against it, making Cirno sit beside her, then finally released her arm. Cirno rubbed her arm gingerly as she thought of what to say while Rumia waited patiently.

"I lost to Marisa again. I dunno; it's just starting to get to me. It's really frustrating, and it annoys me that even if I do get better at fighting with danmaku, I'll never be able to beat Reimu, or Marisa, or anyone else for that matter, because they're getting better at the same time, faster than I am." She trailed off, and silence followed. Raising an eyebrow, Rumia looked at her friend with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"Is that all?"

Cirno twitched at those three words. For some reason, the blonde youkai's words caused her to grow angry, though not necessarily at Rumia. However, because she was the only one nearby, Cirno did something she would later deeply regret.

The temperature around the two dropped several degrees as she eyes narrowed. "_'Is that all?'_ Yes, the fact that no matter how hard I try, I never seem to improve, no closer to beating _anyone_, and that everyone always sees me as someone beneath their notice."

Now standing over Rumia, Cirno scowled as her eyes blazed with fury, her repressed feelings of bitterness and resentment all coming out at once. Rumia listened to her outburst with wide eyes, stunned. Shivering, she noticed the frost spreading on the ground around them and attempted to placate the enraged ice fairy, but she was far from listening.

"Yes, I am upset that no one ever takes me seriously; even you don't! I'll stay a weakling forever, and I'll never gain any recognition for anything but being a troublemaker and a nuisance... I'll always be insignificant, and _I can't do anything about it!_"

Cirno was now breathing heavily, feeling a bit worn out from her fit of anger. Blinking, she finally took notice of the sheet of ice that covered everything around them. Rumia cowered in front of her, trembling violently from the sheer cold... and fear. She was afraid. _Her friend_ was afraid. Of _her._

Opening her mouth, Cirno tried to apologize, but her voice caught in her throat. She wanted nothing more than to get away from the darkness youkai's wide, fearful eyes, yet she was unable to tear her eyes away. She took a slow step back, then spun around, breaking out into a run before taking off into the sky.

Brought out of her daze, Rumia tried to stop her as she had before, but was too late. Sighing out of frustration with herself, she took to the air to fly after her upset friend. "Cirno, wait!" she shouted once she was in earshot, but Cirno only sped up.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled back. Growling, Rumia forced herself to fly faster, quickly shortening the distance between them.

"I..." She was a little more than twenty feet away. "Said..." Ten feet. "WAIT!" Rumia tackled into Cirno, much to the fairy's surprise. Unfortunately, the force of impact caused both of them to fall back down to the forest below them. Landing with a thud, they started to groan aloud in pain. "Urgh... Cirno... Get off me." Looking down, Cirno saw that she was, indeed, on top of Rumia.

"Ah, sorry!" She got off of her swiftly, stumbling a bit in the process, allowing Rumia to sit up. _'Today just isn't going my way...'_ she thought morosely. Sitting slumped against a tree beside Rumia, she sighed wearily, physically and emotionally exhausted. Neither spoke, not knowing what to say to the other. Cirno considered apologizing for exploding on her friend, but the words wouldn't come out, always dying out in her throat. As for Rumia, she didn't think far enough ahead to know what to say once she had caught Cirno.

Eventually, the silence was first broken by the darkness youkai. "I really admire you, y'know," she murmured, keeping her gaze strictly ahead of her. Startled, Cirno began to stare at her; of all the things she imagined Rumia would say, that wasn't one of them. Feeling her stare, Rumia began to blush slightly in embarrassment, and concentrated even harder at the space in front of her. She was unused to expressing her feelings, but she forced herself to continue anyway.

"No matter how many times you've been beaten, you always get back up and work to improve," she started, carefully saying each word as she thought of the best way to phrase her thoughts. "At first, I thought you were just really stubborn; there aren't that many people who would keep hope in your situation. But, even after so many times, you still try your best. It actually kinda inspires me. I'll face a lot of failures in my life; I know that. But, that's no reason why I should give up.

Everyone thinks you're an annoyance, something to be overlooked. They only think that _now_. You can work to become something greater than them; I know you will. 'Cus if anyone could, it'd be you." Rumia finally turned her head to look at Cirno, who looked rather speechless, and gave her a small, timid smile, greatly embarrassed by what had come out of her mouth. _'By the gods, did I actually say all that?'_

"Anyway," she said hastily, wanting to get her last statement over with. "Even if you don't become the strongest of Gensoukyo, you're still a really great friend," she finished. _'I've been spending too much time with Dai...'_

Rumia stared at Cirno nervously as the ice fairy slowly digested her words. "Did... you mean all that?" she asked finally, eyes wide with surprise. The blonde youkai nodded.

"I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't," she confirmed.

Cirno looked upon her friend with wonder, and her shocked expression gradually eased into a warm smile filled with happiness. Drawing her into a hug, Cirno murmured, "Thanks, and sorry," quietly into her ear. Quick to return the embrace, Rumia laughed softly.

"I've already forgiven you. And you're welcome."

* * *

Three months, and _this_ is what I come up with? Infinite sads. I am disappointed with myself, yet satisfied at the same time. Meh.

This one-shot is very... awkward. I can point out several reasons why, but I'd rather not fill this chapter with author's notes. Tell me what you thought in a review! :D


	3. Our Strange Little Family

Disclaimer: Touhou is owned by Zun.

* * *

Our Strange Little Family

More times than she could count, Daiyousei was asked why she spent her time with Cirno and the others. She didn't blame anyone for their curiosity. After all, they were outgoing, eccentric troublemakers, while Daiyousei... was not. No; she was the quiet supervisor and the voice of reason, but mostly known as the scaredy-cat.

So, why exactly did she hang around them everyday? When questioned, she would simply smile and answer, "Because they are all I have... and I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Lying on her back in a small clearing, Rumia gazed up at the night sky, a content smile on her face. She felt comfortable surrounded in her element, soothed by the peaceful quiet of the forest, broken only by the sound of the breathing from her friends who slept in the caves behind her **[1]**.

Rumia remembered a time before Team 9, though only vaguely. She was always alone, avoided or ignored, either because of her human eating tendencies or because she was beneath anyone's notice. She recalled becoming lonely from the lack of interaction. Every so often, Rumia had attempted to befriend the other youkai - or even humans- she stumbled upon, but they always tried to kill her or ran away.

Then, all of a sudden, Cirno barged into her life; quite literally, she might add. Wincing, Rumia giggled softly at the memory. The excitable fairy had ran into her, trying to get away from some other fairies, playing a game of Cirno Tag. Rumia still wasn't sure how it was played. She just knew it involved a lot of impromptu rules.

One thing led to another, and she had somehow ended up playing along with them. Unknown to her at the time, she had gained Cirno as a friend, joining in her games and pranks. Cirno then introduced her to Daiyousei, who soon became the closest thing to a mother/sister figure Rumia had. They later met Mystia and Wriggle after a certain incident, sharing stories of the dreaded red-white miko and black-white witch.

Rumia really, truly cherished her friends, and hoped that one day she would be able to tell them this.

"Rumia?" Daiyousei's sleepy voice broke said girl out of her reverie. Pulling herself up, Rumia brushed herself off and smiled at the Greater Fairy. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing," she answered while giggling, already leading Daiyousei back inside. "Let's just go back to sleep." The green-haired fairy gave no protest or resistance. Lying down in their makeshift beds, Rumia latched onto the fairy, basking in the warmth.

Rumia wasn't lonely anymore.

* * *

It was hard to run a food cart when you are a youkai. Although most humans nowadays were a bit more accepting of them, they still feared or didn't trust youkai, and thus avoided them.

Mystia sighed as she poked at the dying flame in her grill. She had hardly gotten any customers, and she didn't think it would get any better. "Maybe I should just give some humans night blindness..." she mumbled, resting her head on the counter. She dismissed the idea as quick as it came however, knowing a certain miko would disapprove. Shuddering slightly at the thought of Reimu chasing her down, Mystia grabbed a sake bottle and poured herself a drink to pass the time.

Downing her cup in one go, she let out a sigh, part in contentment and part in weariness. She could tell it was some time in the afternoon by the position of the sun. Mystia sighed once more, this time in frustration. "I'm so bored!" she groaned, collapsing onto her counter. She stared blankly at the still flickering embers, almost physically feeling the seconds pass by. Yawning, she was suddenly aware of how tired she was, feeling her entire body grow heavy. Mystia berated herself for drinking on the job, making it all the more difficult to keep her eyes open. Unable to resist, she finally succumbed to sleep.

...

Slowly regaining consciousness, Mystia became aware of a presence uncomfortably close to her. Forcing herself awake, she blinked her eyes open to see Cirno's grinning face. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" the ice fairy greeted cheerfully. Mystia found herself on the floor of her cart, a blanket draped over her body. Obviously, she had been moved there by the fairy in front of her. Somewhat disgruntled, yet touched, she shoved Cirno's face away and sat up, body creaking from sleeping on a hard surface.

"It's mid-afternoon, dummy," she muttered, stretching her sore muscles. Cirno scowled at the light insult.

"That's a nice way to talk to your friend, who so happened to watch your cart for you while you slept," Cirno said with mock contempt.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really! We came to ask if you wanted to play with us, but since you were sleeping, we decided to guard the cart for you, 'cause we know you hate it when your things get stolen." Cirno smiled proudly at the fact she did something good, sticking her chest out and thumping a fist on it. Smiling at the thoughtful gesture, Mystia looked around for the rest of this "we".

"Is that so?" she mumbled absentmindedly.

"That is so~!" Rumia's head popped out suddenly, hanging upside down from the cart. Mystia considered scolding her for being on top of her precious cart, but decided to let it go; she was just too cute.

"Hello, Rumia." The darkness youkai gave Mystia a happy, toothy grin in response. Wriggle head appeared beside Rumia's.

"Hey, glad you're finally awake. Now we can play!" she said excitedly.

"Maybe we should let her rest some more," Daiyousei suggested quietly, sounding from somewhere above them.

"So, are you gonna come or what?" Cirno asked with an expectant expression. The night sparrow laughed to herself as she stood up, and looked to each of their eager faces.

"Alright; let's go."

* * *

"Hey Wriggle! Get up!" Cirno's voice echoed throughout the tunnels as she burst into Wriggle's room. The firefly youkai groaned from within her cocoon of blankets, curling up even tighter.

"Go away..." she mumbled, knowing fully well Cirno wanted to drag her into one of her pranks or some crazy adventure again. The ice fairy's excitement was amplified by the fact it was winter, her environment. All Wriggle wanted was to stay in bed and sleep throughout the season. However, Cirno refused to execute her plans without the team, which, unfortunately, included herself.

Wriggle began to groan once more as she felt herself being shaken, gentle at first, then much more rougher. Sighing, she sat up, still wrapped in her blankets, knowing just how persistent Cirno could be until she did what she wanted. "What?" she snapped, more than just a little grouchy from being woken up. Unperturbed by her snarky response, Cirno continued to grin as she leaned in close to her face.

"Come outside."

Wriggle stared at her with narrowed eyes as she processed her request. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" she promptly yelled, eye twitching. "I'll freeze to death!" Still rather unfazed, Cirno began to pull Wriggle by the arm to her feet, despite the firefly youkai's protests. Normally, Wriggle would have been able to get out of Cirno's grip quite easily, what with having more physical strength than the ice fairy. Unfortunately, winter did nothing but weaken her, and Cirno took advantage of that, much to her discontent.

Pulling her out of the cave, Cirno stretched out her arms and shouted, "Behold!" Snow had not started to fall yet, so everything was covered in frost instead. The grass, the trees, every flower that hadn't withered away already practically sparkled in the morning light. There was no wind, or any type of sound in the forest, bringing about a serene calm. Despite the horrid temperature, she had to admit; it was quite beautiful.

Wriggle and Cirno stood there for a few more minutes, simply absorbing the crystallized world around them until Wriggle couldn't handle the cold any longer. "I'm going back inside," she said, turning around. Cirno blinked a few times in surprise, then nodded.

"Yeah, alright." Her tone of voice sounded slightly disappointed.

"...Thanks for showing me this. It was worth getting out of bed for," Wriggle added before re-entering the cave. A smile quickly made its way onto Cirno's face, delighted she was able to find something the bug youkai actually liked about winter for once.

"No problem!"

* * *

If you caught the really vague Calvin and Hobbes reference, then you get a virtual cookie.

**[1]** It's my personal headcanon that Team 9 has some kind of "base of operations" because of Cirno. At first, I thought of a treehouse, but I get the feeling they wouldn't be able to make it, or if they did, it's made horribly and unlivable. So cave system it is!

This chapter... seriously took a lot out of me. Writing doesn't come to me easily in the first place, but this was just horrible. Wriggle and Cirno's part was the hardest. Not gonna lie.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, or at least some parts of it. Leave any comments, questions, suggestions in a review :) See you all next time.


	4. Spring

Touhou is owned by Zun; all right reserved and whatnot

* * *

Spring

"Do you really have to go?" The same question asked every year on the same day. Letty looked down at her fairy companion, whose eyes were brimming with tears as she held onto her sleeve tightly. Letty smiled sadly, knowing how much her departure hurt Cirno. Unfortunately, it was something beyond her control, and is the time for her to leave.

"I'm afraid so. Don't worry; I'll be back next winter, like always," she said reassuringly. Cirno sniffed and looked down at the slowly melting snow.

"But that;s a long time..." she murmured quietly. She knew she was acting selfish, but she couldn't help it. Sighing, Letty dropped down onto her knees to face the fairy at eye level.

"I know it is, and I know how unfair this seems to you. However, I cannot change nature. If I could stay for even a day longer, I would... but I cannot.. Please understand."

Looking down in shame, Cirno nodded. "Yeah, I get it." That didn't mean she had to like it. "...I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you as well, my little one," she said. She stood up and looked off into the distance, aware of the slightly warmer air coming in. Closing her eyes, she gave a melancholic smile, feeling the fading winter and oncoming spring. Opening them, she could see that she was slowly starting to become transparent; her time was already very limited.

Noticing her condition, Cirno wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged her tight while she was still tangible, burying her face into her clothes. Muffled, unintelligible noises sounded from her as she cried. Letty simply placed a hand on top of the ice fairy's head, intended to soothe her somewhat, as well as a sign of farewell. Dropping her arms, Cirno lifted her head and looked up at her "mother". She could practically see through her figure, her body fading into wisps of light. "Don't forget me," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes.

"You know I won't."

"...I love you."

Letty wrapped whatever was left of her arms around the fairy. "I love you too, Cirno. Goodbye..." She disappeared completely, and Cirno slumped onto the ground, crying softly.

* * *

"IT'S SPRIIIIIIIIIING~!"

The enthusiastic herald of spring flew throughout Gensoukyo, announcing her presence to all with her call and sometimes showers of danmaku bullets. Many ignored her, as they were used to it by now, though were slightly annoyed by her disruptive shouts, and others simply avoided her. However, one fairy confronted her face to face.

"Lilywhite," Cirno said flatly. The fairy of spring's mood dropped somewhat at the sight of the ice fairy. Such encounter was not unusual around this time. She sighed.

"Let's just get this over with."

"I was thinking the same thing. [Ice Sign: Icicle Fall]!"

* * *

jfc Cirno; you've been in 3 chapters now.

Inspired by: danbooru . donmai . us / posts / 564823

Someone please get me out of the Heart-Breaking and Soul-Crushingly Depressing pools

Anyway, this was written for the first day of spring (yay~). Hope you enjoy it, despite it's short-ness.


End file.
